This invention relates generally to capacitor discharge apparatus, and, more particularly, to capacitor discharge apparatus of the kind including a spark gap device for discharging a capacitor and thereby supplying a current impulse to a load.
Capacitor discharge apparatus of this particular kind are useful in a number of applications, for providing large electrical current impulses over a relatively short time duration. Examples of such applications are exploding bridge wire and exploding foil initiator detonator systems, high-power, short-duration lasers, flash tubes, and radar systems.
The typical apparatus of this kind includes a capacitor adapted to be charged to a predetermined voltage, and a spark gap device either of the kind having merely two electrodes or of the kind further having a trigger electrode. The capacitor and spark gap device are connected in series via a suitable cable and/or connector, and the resulting assembly includes a pair of terminals adapted for connection to a load. In cases where the spark gap device includes a trigger electrode, the capacitor is charged to the predetermined voltage, after which the device is triggered, to discharge the capacitor across the load. Otherwise, the capacitor is charged until the spark gap device reaches its overvoltage breakdown, at which time the capacitor is discharged across the load.
To maximize the peak current delivered to the load, it is desirable to reduce the series inductance in the various elements of the apparatus. This, in turn, permits the use of a lower capacitance and/or a lower voltage level to achieve the same peak current. Efforts have been made in the past to reduce the inductances of the apparatus' individual elements, particularly the capacitor. However, these efforts have not achieved as large a reduction in the overall inductance of the apparatus as is possible.
It should therefore be appreciated that there is a need for an improved capacitor discharge apparatus that is configured to provide an even greater peak current by minimizing overall inductance even further. The present invention fulfills this need.